Adhesive tape for fastening packages and for like purposes



March 21, 1933. KRUEGER 1,902,369

ADHESIVE TAPE FOR FASTENING PACKAGES AND FOR LIKE PURPOSES Original Filed May 2, 1930 71- K 7): wwr-M HIE Patented Mar. 21, 1933 "EHEUEDGBE? may KRUEGEB, (BF NEW YGRK, N. Y, ASSIGNOR llfir W PAGKAGEE,

ADHESIVE TAEE FOE FASTEHINQ FACGlE 1 =1 roan runrosne @rladnal application filed Hey it, 1939, aerial No. @9352, and in Great Britain. catcher 3,1, 18%. Divided and this application filed august 1980. Serial No. 2778347.

This invention relates to adhesive tape for fastening packages and for like purposes, and has for its object to provide an improved form of such tape which will enable an operator manually to remove from the apparatus a strip of adhesive tape which has been, at least artially, moistened, without the risk of soiling, his fingers by contactwith the moistened gum on the strip, and without causing moistened gummed surfaces of the tape to adhere to one another, and a. further object is to enable the operator accurately and quickly to lace the tape on the package to be sealed especially in a case where it is desired that the longitudinal centre line of the tape should coincide with the scare off the package to he sealed).

According to this invention the improved tape is divided longitudinally into three zones e. a central zone and two lateral zones *ordanges) by parallel lines oi weakness along which said tape as a whole will bend readily to a channelled cross-section with gum inwards, so that the flanges at the sides may he gripped bythe fingers of the operator without touching the moistened gum. The lines of weakness may heformed by an initial or preliminary creasing, scoring or other suitalole weakening of the tape itself before the gum or the like is applied thereto, or loy creasing or bending the tape after the gum has been applied thereto, thus causing the dried gum to crack along predetermined lines, or the gum may he scored or scratched along such lines.

The distance between the lines of weakness depends, to some extent, upon the average size of an operators finger tip, and, to some extent, upon the Width oi the tape itself, and should be at least one eighth of the width of the strip, and not less than one quarter of an inch (whichever is the greater) and not more than seven eighths of said width or 3% inches v( whichever is the less).

The improved tape of this invention is made up in rolls as is usual with tape for fastening packages and itmay be used in any known machine, but preferably in the ma chine forming the subject of application for Letters Patent Serial No. 449,152, filed May 2, 1930, by which it may be caused to assume and retain the desired cross-section;

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawing Figure l is a cross-section of a piece of creased tape, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a piece of tape as gripped by an operator, and Fig. 3 shows a form of tape which is previously scored or otherwise weal:- ened along the crease lines.

For convenience of operation the tape should he led through the apparatus so that the gumme'd surface is presented downwards. When so fed through an ordinary machine, the tape may be delivered fiat, or when fed through a machine such as that forming the subject of application for Letters Patent Serial No. 449,152, filed May 2, 1930, it may be delivered with a cross-section as shown in Figure l, and the act of gripping; the tape lightly from above by the thumb and the second finger of the operator tends to bend the tape aloout the lines oi" wealrnesaas shown in Figure 2, and to force down the marginal zones or flanges a a of the tape, whilst the. first or index finger of the operator will hear naturally on the central zone It (the welo of the channelled section) and prevent said central zone from assinning such curvature as would enable the marginal flanges to touch and adhere to one another. It is desirable that the initial pressure oi the first or index linger of the operator on the central zone 5 should be such as to cause a slight concavity of the outer or upper (ungurnrned) surface thereof as iii-that event the grip of the thumb and second linger or the operator being substantially in the plane of said central zone,

tends to cause the latter to retain such curvature (and hence prevent the marginal zones or flanges a afrom touching and adhering) until the tape is ap lied to the package or the like.

In Figure 3, l have shown tape-X which prior to the introduction into the machine is scored or otherwise weakened along two parallel lines 37 and g in order to facilitate bending of the tape along these lines into channelled shape. This tape may he wound in a roll and used in the machine .shown or in machine: of difierent type.

This invention is confined to manually applied tape, in contradistinction to tape having a single central crease which has been formed in a machine for the purpose of applying, mechanically, a strip of measured moistened and severed tape directly to the corner of a paper or like box.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 449,152, filed May 2, 1930.

I claim 1. Adhesive tape for fastening packages and for like purposes, divided longitudinally into three zones by parallel lines of weakness along which said tape as a whole will bend readily to a channelled cross-section with the gum inwards, so that the flanges at the sides may be gripped by the operator without touching the moistened gum. and wherein the distance between the lines of weakness is at least one eighth of the width of the strip. and not less than one quarter of an inch (whichever is the greater) and not more than seven eighths of said width or three and one-half v inches (whichever is the less).

2. Adhesive tape for fastening packages and for like purposes bent longitudinally into channel shape of fixed dimensions with the gummed surface inwards, such shape being fixed by two crease lines onlyforming the edges of the sides of the channel, the spacing of said crease lines being such as to permit the sides of the tape to be gripped by the fingers of the operator without touching the moistened gum and tobe applied with the gummed sides to the work.

3. Adhesive tape for fastening packages and for like purposes bent longitudinally into channel shape of fixed dimensions with the gummed surface inwards, such shape being fixed by two crease lines only forming the edges of the sides of the channel. the spacing of the crease lines being such as to permit the sides of the tape to he gripped by the fingers of the operator without touching the moistened gum. the width of the outer zones being snfiiciently narrow so that pressure on the middle zone is effective to avoid contact of the two outer edges of the tape.

4. Adhesive tape for fastening'packages and for like purposes divided by two longitudinal lines of weakness to enable the tape to assume a channel shape, having a pair of side portions engageable by the fingers of the 55 bperator without touching the moistened gum,

and a central unweakened portion of a width suificient to receive a further finger of the operator.

THEODORE HENRY KRUEGER. v 

